Anchored
by slewy
Summary: On his 18th birthday, a ghost informs Roxas that he must help him get over his earthly fixation for Roxas. Being haunted proves to be more troublesome than the blond could have ever suspected. Akuroku, Zemyx, and Cleon.
1. Birthday Money Would Have Sufficed

Check it out! New fic!! And as an added bonus, it actually has chapters with decent lengths!

Tell me what you think! :D

Disclaimer: I asked to own Kingdom Hearts for my birthday. Sadly, I just got over 50 copies of the game. Sigh.

* * *

Roxas smacked his alarm clock with much more force than necessary. It was his 18th birthday today, but it was also the first day of the second semester of senior year. The fact that he had the worst case of senioritis wasn't helping to keep his eyes open. Why did he have to go to school on his birthday? That should be against the law.

"Roxas! I made you pancakes in the shape of birthday cakes!"

Roxas groaned at the noise. "I'll be down in a minute," he called back. Was it just him, or did his bed just get softer? His eyes slipped shut again- "They're getting cold, Roxas!" –as Cloud's voice startled them back open. Another groan, and Roxas was headed downstairs.

"Good morning sunshine," Cloud smiled at him good-naturedly. He held out a plate piled high with pancakes. "What kind would you like? Blueberry? Chocolate chip? Banana?" All three?"

Roxas stared blankly up at him. "What's gotten into you?"

"What's wrong with cooking your only brother pancakes on his birthday?" He shoved the plate into his hands and went back to cooking.

Roxas scanned the plate, finding the pancakes to be incredibly accurate. He didn't doubt that they would taste just as good as they looked. Cloud was an excellent cook. But he didn't normally do things like this. The most plausible reason for this display of brotherly affection would be that this was his first birthday without their parents.

"You didn't have to do this, you know. It's not like it's much of a birthday anyway since I have to go to school."

"Well, the least I can do is try to make it just a little bit better, so suck it up and eat your pancakes," He narrowed his eyes and waved his spatula at him, "I worked hard on those, you know."

"I know, I know. And I do appreciate them," he emphasized his point by shoving a huge bite in his mouth and chewing noisily, receiving an unimpressed eye roll from his brother.

After finishing his breakfast, Roxas dragged himself back up the stairs to get ready for the day ahead. He grumbled to himself as he shed his pajamas on the bathroom floor. Despite the delicious breakfast, there was still much to be desired from this day. As he let the water for his shower heat up, he saw something flicker from the corner of his vision. He whipped his head around to where he thought he saw it, finding nothing. He shrugged and stepped into the shower, sending a shiver down his spine, as he glanced around the room once more before closing the curtain.

--

"Dude, why are you so jumpy today?" Hayner remarked while shoveling Fritos in his mouth. "You keep looking over your shoulder like someone's stalking you or something."

Roxas turned his attention back to his friend, pretending like he wasn't doing just that. "Really? I guess I'm just bummed about having to be here today."

Hayner nodded empathetically. "Looking for an exit? I tried that. This place is like a fucking prison though."

Roxas hummed in agreement, still idly scanning the cafeteria's corners for any signs of movement. He'd been seeing brief flashes of _something_ all day. He was probably just being paranoid, but he couldn't help but think it might be something more. Someone really could be stalking him. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Happy birthday, Roxas!" chirped Olette from behind him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"We all pitched in to get you this," said Pence from somewhere to the side as a cupcake was brought into his vision.

Roxas couldn't help but smile. "Thanks guys. I would eat it except for the fact that Olette is crushing my esophagus."

She chuckled softly and reluctantly released her hold on him, making Roxas cough over-dramatically. She rolled her eyes in his direction as she took her usual seat next to Hayner.

"_Looks pretty good, huh?"_

"Yeah Hayner, but I'm not sharing," Roxas replied triumphantly as he bit into his cupcake.

"…What?" Hayner gave him a puzzled look.

"You meant the cupcake, right?" Roxas answered, mouth full.

"When? I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, you… you said that it looked good," Roxas turned to his other friends to back him up, but found that they had equally puzzled expressions.

"Maybe you heard something from another table," Olette ventured, attempting to help him out.

"I guess I must have…" He turned toward the tables around him, but all the noise from them seemed to be lost in the overall din of the cafeteria. He was certain it had come from his general vicinity though.

"So do you have any plans for after school, Roxas?" Olette asked, presenting a much appreciated change of subject.

"Yeah, Cloud was going to make me a big dinner," he answered, mouth full.

"_Heh. Can I come?"_

Okay, that did _not_ sound like Hayner this time. It sounded much… closer. And honestly, he was really freaked out by this. "Uh, guys? I'll see you in class, okay?" He shoved the rest of his cupcake in his mouth and left before they could respond.

He walked down the empty halls, pace quickened by panic. So he was hearing voices now. That was new. He listened more acutely here, seeking the voice out, hoping to figure out the source now that he was out of the cafeteria.

"_-totally blew up Vexen's-"_

Roxas halted. He heard it again. It was like a piece of a conversation. He listened harder.

"_-at's he doing? He's just stopped in the hall. Looking rather constipated actu-"_

Shit. His head whipped around, eyes frantically searching the area around him. Whoever the voice was coming from could _see_ him.

He began walking again, returning to a normal pace. If the voice's origin could see him, he needed to act as if he couldn't hear it. He would've blamed this on Seifer, but he was way too dumb to set up anything this complex. He would just go through the day, pretending like nothing was wrong. All he had to do was tune the voice out. No problem.

--

… Big problem. Because of the stupid voice, he couldn't concentrate on any of his afternoon classes. He ended up having to get notes from Pence half the time. It just kept talking. Mostly bits of a one-sided conversation, but sometimes it seemed like it was talking directly to him. A few times it actually gave him answers in class. It was surprisingly quiet through calculus, though.

When the last bell signaling the end of school finally rang, Roxas all but bolted out of the room. He felt bad for ignoring his friends, but he didn't want them to worry. He had to get home and sort this out on his own.

Once secure in his room, he settled onto his bed, waiting for the voice to speak up again.

"_You sure this is working, Dem? I'm getting absolutely no feedback."_

And there it was. Right on cue. "Auuuugh! Get out of my head!" He yelled at what he assumed to be nothing.

"_Oh? So you _can_ hear me? Very sneaky, Roxas."_

It knew his name? Fuck. "How… How do you know my name? What are you?"

"_The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"_

"You have a name? So you're… a person?" Roxas couldn't help but search his room for a speaker, even though all evidence pointed to insanity.

"_More or less. We'll get into that later."_

"Later? What do you mean 'later'?" Roxas wriggled under his bed. Nope, no speaker.

"_You know. Like as in, not right now. Also, there's no point trying to find me. You'll see me as soon as soon as Dem gets back."_

"What?!" The surprise sent his head straight up into the wood frame of his bed. "Ow… fuck…" He rubbed the spot tenderly.

"_Tsk, tsk. Such a potty mouth."_

"Whatever," he disregarded the statement, crawling out from his awkward position under the bed, ceasing his search. "What did you mean I'll be seeing you?"

"_Uh… well… we'll get to that later too. Right now we'll both have to cope with just talking."_

"So… I'm not just hearing. You're actually talking. This is a conversation." Roxas was less asking and more convincing himself he wasn't crazy.

"_Yup. But right now, you're the only one that can hear me, so don't make a big deal of it."_

"Great. This is just perfect. I really am going insane." He massaged his temples and slumped onto his bed, suddenly feeling very worn out.

"_Aw, no, Roxy. It'll be okay. It's just hard to explain."_

"What did you just call me? Well I know for sure that _that_ nickname couldn't have come from my subconscious. Maybe you are real… whatever you are." What was he saying? How could this disembodied voice be real? But… what else could it be, other than insanity? He seriously doubted his mind's creativity, and this whole situation was a bit too damn creative.

"_So, hey, I need to go talk to Demyx for a minute. We have to sort some things out, but I'll be back."_

"Okay? And who's Demyx?"

"_Uh…"_

"…Later?"

"_You got it. See ya, short-ass."_

He spluttered at the nickname, but was glad he was finally left by himself. This was way too freaky. It couldn't be real. There was no way…

--

Roxas was halfway through his birthday dinner with no word from the voice- er, Axel. He was starting to get worried, and that worried him. Shouldn't he be glad the voice was gone? Was he back to normal now? Aw, crap, Cloud was staring again.

"Sorry Cloud. I have a lot on my mind right now. It really is good though," he forced a smile, taking another bite of Cloud's famous spaghetti.

Cloud sighed, returning his attention to his own food. For all that Cloud knew, Roxas was upset about their parents not being around. And in some ways, he was, but he was strong enough to keep how he felt about that from showing. He couldn't, however, stop thinking about that damn Axel.

"_Hey there. Did you miss me?"_

Roxas practically jumped out of his seat at hearing the voice.

"Roxas?" Cloud inquired about his self-being, finding his behavior increasingly worrisome.

"Oh, um… I, uh, just bit my tongue accidentally and it startled me. No big deal."

"_Heh. Didn't mean to scare you."_

Roxas glared at nothing in particular, hoping the voice would get the message.

"_Don't give me that. Anyway, Demyx is here now so I can begin the whole… process."_

What process? Dammit, if he could only talk to him.

"_When you're ready, just come in into your room. We'll be waiting for you there."_

What? Wait! He shouted protests in his mind, realizing that the voice couldn't read his thoughts.

"Roxas? You sure you're okay? Maybe you should go get some sleep or something," Cloud, to Roxas's horror, had been watching his reactions to his one-sided conversation.

"Yeah. Yeah, that will probably help. I didn't get much sleep last night." Then it donned on him. Maybe hearing these voices was the product of lack of sleep! He could go upstairs, get a good night's rest, then when he woke up, there would be no more Axel.

"Don't worry about cleaning up. I'll handle it. You just worry about getting enough sleep," Cloud said, looking truly worried about Roxas's condition.

"Thanks Cloud. For everything." Roxas gave his brother a brief smile for his efforts, then made his way back to his room. As he approached his door, he could hear the hum of Axel's voice from inside. So much for going straight to bed. But there was a second voice there too. Could it be that Demyx guy Axel was talking about? Only one way to find out… He slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open, hearing the voices cease their conversation in anticipation. He slid in the space he allowed himself between the door and the frame, scanned the room for signs of life he knew would not be there, and-

"Holy shit!" Roxas jumped back, colliding with the wall behind him.

"_Now, now, Roxas. Don't be scared…"_

"What the-?! Hell… Are you-?"

"_It's me! Axel."_

"Y-you're like… like a fucking _ghost_ or something." And that's exactly what he looked like. He was a blue-ish grey, and quite transparent. He could see his dresser right through him. It was like his body was outlined and filled in with incredibly watered down watercolors. A typical ghost portrayal.

"_Well, you see… I am."_ Upon receiving no immediate reply, he clarified, _"… a ghost."_

Roxas was pretty sure _he_ looked like the ghost now. His face had lost its color long ago. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to run out of the room screaming and get Cloud or anyone to tell him he was sane; that there was not ghost in his bedroom.

"_Shit, now you're freaked."_ He ran an unfeeling hand through his transparent hair. _"Calm down for a bit, okay? I won't do anything. I'll stay right here until you're better."_

Roxas nodded mutely and inched toward his bed, sitting on the very edge when he reached it. He concentrated on breathing and not looking at the supposed ghost not 10 feet away from him.

"So… let's say you _are _a ghost. Does that mean you're dead?"

"_Yup. It's sort of a long process, though. I'm still on my way."_

He worked up the courage and looked over at him again, this time looking at his features. The first thing he noticed was his wild hair that spiked up in every direction. He wondered if it was natural or if he died with massive amounts of hair cement in his hair and had to deal with it forever. Next were his eyes. They were a cold blue-grey, but he could feel the warmth behind the undead appearance. Under his eyes were two almost teardrop looking markings. Were they tattoos or were they just a ghost thing? Was skinniness a ghost thing too, because jeez, he was skinny.

"I'm confused about how this whole thing works. Why exactly are you here anyway?"

He inhaled a deep breath-did ghosts need to breathe?-and shook his head slightly before answering.

"_That's a good question. I'm here because, well, we used to be friends and you have to aid me in this whole death thing. The reason I'm a ghost right now is because I didn't want to give you up."_

"But I've never seen you before. I'm pretty sure I would remember someone like you, especially in the flesh."

"_Well, that's the funny thing about this. You don't remember me."_

"But why would that be? Why don't I remember you? This all sounds way too fishy."

"_No! Not fishy! I'll prove it to you! Ask me anything about you."_

Roxas thought hard. He had to think up something good to see if this guy was actually telling the truth. "…When I was about 6, I got my first pet. What was it and what was its name?"

"_First off, you were 7. Your pet was a turtle and its name was Henry_." Axel smirked at Roxas's dumbfounded expression.

"Okay… That's a little creepy. But am I really supposed to believe that you're a _ghost_?"

Axel rolled his eyes at this and advanced toward Roxas, making the blond increasingly nervous.

"Whoa… W-what are you going to do…?" Roxas got off the bed and backed toward the wall.

"_Jeez, kid, relax. I'm not going to hurt you."_

Roxas's breath quickened. There was a freaky blue-grey stranger in his room coming toward him with who-knows-what kinds of weird ghost-like powers that could quite possibly vaporize him in an instant. Then his back hit the wall and he knew he was stuck. He couldn't run now. He had to defend himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, let out a brief cry of terror, and shoved at the body- barely inches away from him now- but hit… nothing.

He opened his eyes and saw that Axel was just standing there, laughing at him. He looked down and saw that he hadn't hit his body at all, but went right threw him. He withdrew his arms from the man's stomach, sucking in a startled breath at the sight.

"_Told you I wasn't going to hurt you."_ Axel ran a hand through Roxas's torso, further demonstrating the fact.

Roxas shivered and wrapped his arms around the place Axel's hand had passed through him. "You're like… ice water, except just air…" Roxas stated, still rather dazed.

"_So eloquent, this one."_ Axel went as if to tousle Roxas's hair, but his hand passed right through his scalp, giving Roxas a brief brain freeze. Axel frowned and withdrew his hand, displeased at the outcome.

"That's… too weird." He gave Axel a good look-over, then, "What would happen if I were to… walk through you?"

Axel spread his arms, inviting the blond to go ahead. _"Try it."_

Roxas took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and-

"_Axel! I'm tired of waiting, I want to meeeet hiiimm!"_

Looking beyond Axel's mostly see-through form, Roxas could make out another blue/grey shape appearing, then Axel turned, still partially blocking Roxas's view, and addressed the newcomer.

"_Demyx!! I told you to wait! He was almost _inside_ of me!"_

"_Whoa-ho, Axel! That's got to be a new record!"_

Roxas' head spun from the sudden change of social atmosphere. "Uh, excuse me?"

Axel turned back to Roxas, now very flustered. "_Yeah? … Oh! Right, sorry."_ He sidestepped, giving Roxas a better view of his new guest. _"Roxas, this is Demyx."_

"_Nice to meet ya, Roxy!" _The newly appeared ghost grinned at him.

"… Hi. So what exactly is going on here? Are you another person that I" -Roxas made quotes in the air with his fingers- "_forgot?"_

"_Uhehe. Naw, I'm just here to help you guys out since you're both so new to this."_

"Both? So Axel's clueless too?"

"_Not entirely. I've given him the basic rundown, but that's nothing like the real thing. Believe me, since I started a couple of weeks ago, things here have been totally diff-"_

"-Wait. A couple of weeks? Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Roxas was incredibly skeptical now. Not only did this guy look like a total idiot, he was inexperienced too.

"_So I might not be the most learned guy on the subject, but my tactics are flawless!"_

"_Right. Flawless meaning that your anchor despises you after just 2 weeks." Axel rolled his eyes at his friend._

"_Shut up! He does _not _despise me! He just needs to get used to me again."_

Roxas groaned internally as the two continued arguing. What was he getting himself into?

"_Well you wet the bed last month!"_

"_How many times do I have to tell you?! That was water! I was trying to make my bed into a waterbed!"_

_Thunk_

"… _Do you hear that?"_

_Thunk_

"_Hear what?"_

_Thunk_

Axel put a finger to his lips, urging Demyx to be quiet, then scanned the room to find the origin of the noise. On the opposite side of the room was Roxas, repeatedly banging his head against the wall.

"_Ah! Roxas!" _The two ghosts shouted in unison and hurried over to his side. Axel reached out to grab his shoulder to prevent him from further damaging his skull, but his hands passed right through him.

"_Dammit, Roxas. Stop that."_

Roxas shivered at Axel's touch, or lack thereof, and turned to face the two. "Are you quite finished? Because if this is going to be a frequent occurrence, I'm out."

Axel's eyes grew wide in horror and he shook his head animatedly. _"No, no! I'm really sorry about that. Please don't leave me."_

He was really serious about this…? Maybe it wasn't an enormous high-class outlandishly expensive prank. Yeah, he knew that sounded far-fetched, but real ghosts? Who knew? "…Okay. I guess you can count me in, then."

Axel's expression was washed over with relief. "_Phew… Thanks Roxas. I'll be sure to keep this idiot in line._" He nudged Demyx in the ribs, eliciting an indignant squawk from his friend.

"So. What do I have to do?" Roxas was getting excited about this. He'd never engaged in anything paranormal before. How many people could say that they helped a ghost reach the next life? Excluding the crazy ones, of course.

Axel looked at Demyx and the two shrugged. "_There's really not all that much you can do. You mainly just had to accept me. Now it's just a matter of letting me spend some time around you until I can either let you go or…_" He held up his hands, weighing the potential outcomes against each other.

"…Or, what?" He cocked his head to the side, studying Axel's expression. Hopeful? Worried? Gassy?

"_Ehh... It doesn't matter. Just something I have to deal with. Don't worry your pretty little head over it, Roxy."_ He extended a hand toward Roxas's already mussed up hair, but pulled it back halfway, remembering the unpleasant outcome it would create. He raked it through his own wild array of spikes instead. "_Gotta get used to that…"_

Roxas wrinkled his nose at the nickname and at being called "pretty" but shrugged it off for now. "Are we done? I didn't get much sleep last night and I have school in the morning."

"_Ah! What time is it??"_ Demyx spoke up after having remained surprisingly reticent for the past couple of minutes. He really didn't seem like the quiet type.

I glanced at the clock on my wall. "Uhh, almost 11."

"_Shit!"_ he exclaimed, _"I told Zexy I'd be back half an hour ago!"_

"_He's probably enjoying the quiet time…"_

"_Oh, shut up!"_ He glared at Axel, then turned to Roxas with a smile. _"So nice to meet you Roxy. See you tomorrow!"_ Then he was gone.

Roxas let out a sigh as he flopped backwards onto his bed, exhausted from the recent going-ons.

"_Aw, sleepy already?"_ Axel asked as strode over to his side.

He wiped his hands over his tired eyes and kicked off his shoes. "Yeah. It's been a long day."

Axel gave a slightly pained look, realizing that indeed, it had been a long day for the blond. Embarrassed and mad at himself for not thinking of poor Roxy's condition, he apologized saying, _"Aw, jeez, sorry Rox. I shouldn't have sprung this all on you today."_

"It's alright. I just want to get some sleep." He burrowed under his covers, not even bothering to change into pajamas. Stupid ghost had messed up his birthday even further. But at least it distracted him from how shitty it could have been.

"_Sure, sure. Sweet dreams. Sleep tight."_

"Nn…" Roxas was already drifting off to sleep, his eyelids growing heavier by the second.

As Axel's form began to disappear, he added, _"Oh, and Roxas? Happy birthday,"_

Roxas's eyes blinked back open, startled by Axels' recognition of the day Roxas came into existence. He turned to thank the redhead, but he had already gone.

* * *

Or so he thought!! We all know Axel's going to creep on Roxas while he's sleeping. :P hehe


	2. The Drama of Death

Moving right along, here is chapter 2! Sadly, I won't be able to update every day like this XD but I will try to be better about it.

Thanks for the reviews and favs and such! :D Hope you guys continue to like it!

* * *

As much as he tried, Roxas just couldn't get Leon to take the bunny. Sephiroth had already set the beach on fire, so the least Leon could do was get in the water and take the bunny. I mean, he had spent the whole day traversing the ocean being threatened by giant lizards trying to get the damn thing for him, and now he says it's no good. What an ass.

"Roxas?" Cloud's voice said from out of nowhere.

"Cloud? Good thing you're here. Maybe you can get Leon to take this bunny. But first you need to get off the beach. Sephiroth set it on fire."

"Uh, Roxas? What are you talking about?" Cloud sounded amused.

"This isn't funny, Cloud! If Leon doesn't take the bunny, his legs will fall off!"

"Well, goodness. I wouldn't want my boyfriend to suddenly lose his legs. I guess we better get that bunny to him. I think it would really help if you woke up though."

"What?" Then the real world began to materialize around him. He was in his bed in his room with his brother currently struggling not to break into laughter. He picked up his pillow from behind him and chucked it at his head. Unfortunately for him, Cloud caught it before it contacted with his face. Roxas pouted. He was not a morning person and he was really looking forward to the satisfaction of hitting his mocking brother.

"So why exactly were you dreaming of my current boyfriend and my ex? Are you harboring secret affections for them?"

"Hell if I know." Roxas fell back on the bed, lamenting not having his pillow there to cushion his head anymore. He scrubbed at his eyes with his hands, trying to dispel his hanging sleepiness. "Why are you in here anyway?"

"It seems you forgot to set your alarm, so I took its duty upon myself. You're welcome." And with that, Cloud got up to leave, throwing the pillow back at his brother as he did so. It hit him squarely in the face, adding to Roxas's sourness. He groaned and pulled his hands through his hair. He did not want to go to school. Ever so slowly, he pulled himself up and off the bed and stumbled toward the bathroom to get ready. He stepped into the shower, knowing that the warm water against his skin would help wake him up. After shampooing his hair, he already started feeling better. He hummed a tune to himself as he grabbed the conditioner.

His mind was slowly awakening, the thoughts pouring out of the space they resided in when he slept. While most crept out, yesterday's memories hit him like a train, making his fingers stop their ministrations of conditioning his hair.

Yesterday, he… he met a… a ghost? Had that actually happened? He rinsed his hair, hoping the water against his skull might make it into his brain and clear things up. That... It had happened, hadn't it? But… where was the ghost now? Roxas suddenly became extremely paranoid. He glanced around him, knowing his attempts were futile. How was he supposed to find a ghost?

He finished his shower in record time and practically flew downstairs for breakfast after he had dressed. He wanted to be around another person if he were to suddenly be attacked by an invisible dead guy.

Cloud had made omelets and fixed a plate up for him with a glass of orange juice, but strangely wasn't in the kitchen. He tried to calm his nerves by sitting and eating his omelet. Nothing to worry about, Roxas. Nothing at a-

"_Psst, Roxas"_

Roxas let out a yelp and dropped his fork with a sharp clatter. Fucking ghost.

"_Oops. Sorry."_

"Shit , Axel," Roxas whispered back breathlessly. He clutched the material of his shirt, breathing heavily from the shock.

"_So you're going to school today, huh?"_

"Yeah. It's what non-dead people do." He rolled his eyes, still while attempting to catch his breath.

"_Ouch. Just trying to make conversation."_

"So what, are you going to go to school with me?" Roxas didn't like the idea of that. He'd pester him through all his classes. He'd no doubt cause quite a disturbance. He didn't need people thinking he was crazier than they already thought.

"_Naw, I'll spare you that. It's boring as hell anyway. I will be meeting you afterward though. Demyx too."_

"Fantastic." He didn't know how much of the two he could handle, especially right after 7 hours of pissy teachers and dumbass students. Yesterday had been taxing enough.

"_I'll leave you to your breakfast now."_

There was a hint of sadness to his voice as he left. Roxas _was_ acting rather cold to him. If they really had been best friends, he was sure Axel wasn't expecting his unwillingness to welcome the redhead into his life. He felt a pang of guilt. But how was he supposed to react upon suddenly being spoken to by a friggin' ghost? He felt bad, but was still wary of the whole thing.

He finished up his breakfast then went back upstairs to brush his teeth and fix his hair before he left for school. He grabbed his schoolbag then headed out down the road toward Twilight High.

Hayner met him by the entrance and immediately started telling him excitedly about the struggle match he had watched last night. Roxas smiled and laughed along, reveling in the normalness of the situation. No freaky dead guys needing his help, just regular conversation with his best friend. School might be nice compared to the alternative.

--

Roxas went through his classes like normal without disturbance. He even slept in the first two, making his permanent bedhead even worse than usual. But then it happened. Chemistry. He felt a slight chill, then Axel's voice sounded in his ear.

"_Whoa, hey! I love this experiment!"_

Roxas started upon hearing the voice, but thankfully didn't drop the small piece of wood with copper sulfate on it into the flame below.

Pence, his lab partner, noticed his small freak out and gave him a worried look, asking, "You okay, Roxas?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, sorry. The… uh, fire sparked up and scared me," he lied.

"Oh, well here. Just let me turn it down some."

"_Noooo,"_ Axel protested as Pence turned the flame down. Was this ghost some kind of pyromaniac or something? Maybe that's how he died… His flame-happy self got himself incinerated. If that were the case, Roxas thought he might be a bit put off by the flames instead of the giddy schoolgirl reaction he was having.

Ignoring Axel, Roxas proceeded with the experiment by holding the stick over the flame, turning it green.

"_Yesss. That one's my favorite."_

Roxas whispered under his breath to the ghost while Pence was busy writing down the results the chemical produced. "What happened to not bothering me at school?"

"_What can I say? I got bored. Besides, I've always liked chemistry."_

"Pyro," Roxas responded, covering it up with a cough.

"_Heh. That's me."_ Roxas could hear the grin in Axel's voice.

Roxas grabbed another stick and held it over the flame, producing a purple-ish color.

"_Potassium chloride."_

"…Potassium chloride," said Roxas to Pence, repeating Axel's answer. Pence nodded and wrote down the answer.

Axel didn't need to say anything. His silence resonated with smugness.

The three continued on like this through the experiment: Axel telling Roxas about the chemicals as he marveled at the colors they produced.

"I'll go turn these in," Pence said as he left their lab station and went up to the teacher's desk. Roxas took the opportunity to talk to Axel a bit.

"So, uh… thanks for helping." Roxas scratched his head and looked down at the desk, unsure of where the invisible Axel was standing.

"_No problem. Gotta get back to Dem now though. See ya 'round, kid."_

Roxas felt a wave of cold crawl down his arm, as if Axel had tried to clap him on the shoulder. Sure enough, he heard Axel grumbling to himself as his voice faded.

--

The rest of the day went on pretty uneventfully. Roxas was thankful he hadn't seen Seifer around yet. Maybe the ugly bastard had finally been kicked out.

Right after the last bell rung, Roxas excused himself to get away from his friends. He didn't know when Axel was going to show up, but he knew he didn't want his friends to be around to see- or not see- when he did. He took off down the road toward his house, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and his peers.

"_Roxas?" _Axel's voice inquired softly in an attempt to not scare the blond.

Roxas peeked over his shoulder to make sure no one was around him then whispered, "Yeah?"

"_Hey!"_ Axel said, enthused, as he began to materialize to Roxas' left. _"Ready for a good time?"_

"By 'good time' do you mean…" He instantly envisioned a drunken Axel and a game of strip poker. Could ghosts strip? The threads were probably a part of the ghost get-up and non-removable. That dirty cheater…

"_Oh, calm down Roxy. We're going to go visit Demyx and his anchor, Zexion." _Axel fell in stride next to Roxas after his legs fully materialized.

"Did you say 'Zexion?' Where have I heard that name before...?"

"_Well, he does go to the university right down this road. Top of his class. People do tend to talk about him a lot. Quite a looker too."_ Axel winked and nudged Roxas in the ribs, causing his elbow to go right through him, making the blond shiver even more than he already was from the cold outside.

Axel made a face at this and apologized, saying, "_I just can't get used to that…"_

"Me neither," Roxas replied, wrapping his arms around himself to keep in more warmth. "So we're headed to the university then?"

"_Yeah. Dem said he'd meet us outside."_

Roxas hummed in response, and a semi-awkward silence settled between them as they made their way down the road. Before they even reached the university, Roxas heard Demyx chatting excitedly to a slate-haired boy who he assumed was Zexion.

As soon as the two were in his line of sight, he waved them over enthusiastically. _"Axel! Roxas! This is Zexion, my anchor. Zexy, this is Axel's, Roxas."_

"Pleasure to meet you, Roxas," greeted Zexion. "Axel." He nodded, acknowledging the redhead next to him.

Demyx grinned and said, "Zexy thinks we should all go get coffee since it's chilly out, right Zexy?"

"Please don't call me that," was Zexion's only response.

The group made their way over to a small coffee shop near the university, got their coffee, and settled into a booth in the corner, away from onlookers who might notice that Roxas and Zexion were speaking to others besides each other. Roxas took the opportunity of getting settled in to ask Zexion a few questions.

"So, uh, Demyx hasn't been around you for that long, has he? Just a couple weeks?"

"Yes. He appeared to me not long ago but has already managed to destroy my daily routines." Zexion glared at the table as he talked. He and Demyx seemed to be polar opposites. He could understand why they weren't getting along.

Roxas made a face at the ghost next to him. "I can see that happening…"

"_Hey. I resent that," _Axel made a face back as he absently ran his fingers through the surface of the table.

"_It's not my fault! It's practically our job to interfere," _Demyx retorted.

"Tch. Annoying," Zexion stated his view on the matter.

Demyx frowned. Roxas felt sorry for the both of them: sorry for Zexion for having to deal with Demyx, and sorry for Demyx for having to put up with Zexion's coldness. This spurred a question in Roxas…

"Were you guys supposedly friends before, like Axel and I?" he asked.

Demyx nodded, then paused. _"Well, sort of… It's complicated."_

"I'll try my best to keep up," Roxas urged him along.

"_Eh…"_ Demyx's eyes glanced over at Zexion, implying that he didn't really want to talk about it around him.

"Ah," Roxas said, taking the hint. "That's okay, Demyx." He then looked to Axel, silently asking the redhead if he would explain it later. He nodded in response.

The group drank their coffee (well, at least the living persons did) then departed on their separate ways. Demyx had to use every bit of strength in himself to resist from hugging Roxas. The older blond found him to be "adorable," to which Axel grumbled and huffed about. Zexion merely acknowledged their leaving with a nod and took off without even bothering to see if Demyx was following. Demyx was hardly deterred though. This appeared to be normal behavior for the two.

On the way back to his home, Roxas asked Axel about the previous discussion about Zexion and Demyx's relationship.

Axel hummed as he thought of the best way to put it. "_Well… okay. I should probably explain all this to you anyway, so I might as well tell you now."_

Roxas' interest piqued upon hearing the latter part and he gave his full attention to what Axel was saying. Maybe he'd finally get some insight into why he had this floaty dead possibly pedophilic freaky-ass guy following him around.

"_Okay so… Demyx and I, after we died, we kind of got put into this…"_ he searched for the word, _"organization of sorts. All the people who are in it have something on earth that they're still attached to in some way. We call these people, or things, 'anchors.' My anchor is, obviously, you."_

Roxas blushed- wait. He blushed? The hell? Why was he blushing?

"_And Demyx's was… well, not Zexion at the time. His was his sitar. Demyx really loves music. Still does. All of us in the organization knew that there was no way he'd ever be able to let go of his sitar. But apparently we were all wrong, because in came a new member to the organization: Zexion."_

"Wait. So Zexion _died_? Then how is he…?"

"_I'm getting to that! Patience, Roxy. So as I was saying, Zexion came into the organization. Demyx instantly fell head-over-heels in love with the guy, but Zexion never knew. Turned out, Zexion was only in the organization for a couple hours, tops. He had died, but was then resuscitated at the hospital. He died in a car accident. The reason he wears his hair covering the right side of his face is because he has a wicked scar from a blow to the head. But I digress… So now that Zexion was alive again, Demyx's anchor switched from being his sitar to Zexion. Now you know."_

Roxas blinked. He definitely was not expecting all that. "Jeez… Poor Demyx."

"_Yeah… And Zexion isn't even giving him a chance. As I'm sure you've noticed, Demyx can be a bit much at times, but he's a really great guy. He'd do anything for that emo bitch and he won't even spare him a passing glance."_

"Not that I know Zexion very well, but you can't blame him entirely. Being haunted by a ghost isn't exactly like being asked out on a date."

"We prefer to call it 'accompanying,'" Axel smirked.

--

When the two got back to Roxas's house, Roxas was not surprised to find Leon's car parked out front. Cloud had been dating him for a while now so he was quite used to the brunet's presence.

Roxas purposely made all the noise he could opening the front door to alert the two lovers inside of his arrival. Sure enough, when he did get the door open, he spotted Leon and Cloud on the couch, breathless with rumpled clothing. Cloud was even still in the process of getting his shirt back on.

"H-hey Roxas," Cloud panted as he tugged his shirt down, "How was school?"

Roxas shrugged. "It was alright."

Cloud cocked his head to the side, getting a better view of Roxas's person. "No bruises from what I can tell. Did that Seifer kid finally get kicked out?"

He shrugged again. He knew Cloud was trying to be a good brother by asking him these things, especially now that his parents were no longer around to do it themselves. But Roxas also knew that Cloud would really like to get back to his makeout session, and Roxas didn't want the wrath of Leon being unleashed upon him if he kept him from snogging the blond to his heart's content, so he kept his replies short or practically non-existent.

"Alright… Well, dinner's at seven."

"I'll be here," Roxas said as he climbed the stairs up to his room, letting the lovers get back to business.

"_Man, you're brother's hot_," Axel commented when they got to Roxas's room.

"Perv."

"_Hey, I just appreciate the human figure. Besides, if he didn't want to get ogled at, maybe he should stop working out."_

"Or maybe you should stop ogling."

"_What's this? Do I detect some jealousy, Roxy?"_ He smirked and moved closer to the teen.

"What? Hell no!" Dammit, he was blushing again! Fight it, Roxas!

"_Don't worry, short-ass. Yours is the only ass for me, even if it is short."_

Just then, Roxas felt something cold on said ass. Axel had actually tried to grope him.

"Ah!! You perv!" Roxas jumped back and tossed his pillow from his bed at him. But, of course, it went right through and smacked against the wall behind him. "Aaarrgg!"

Axel just laughed at his plight. "_You know, for not being able to touch you, that was pretty satisfying."_

"Get out!" Roxas shouted, blushing furiously.

"_What? Out? Really, Rox? It was just a joke."_

"Go… bother Demyx for a while!"

"… _Okay, Rox. Sorry about the uh…"_ He made a groping motion with his hand.

"Go!"

"_I'm going, I'm going."_ And with that, Axel disappeared.

Roxas let out a frustrated groan, then slumped into his desk chair to start on his homework.

--

Leon would never really talk to anyone besides Cloud, other than the occasional "yes" or "no." Cloud wasn't a big talker either, but he had improved out of obligation due to the lack of parental figures for Roxas. This made for very quiet dinners. At first, it was almost unbearable, but after hundreds of dinners in the same manner, the Strife brothers were now quite used to it.

Tonight was no exception. The three ate their exotic, yet utterly delicious meals of something Roxas couldn't even begin to pronounce, when who should stick his ghostly head up through the plate in front of him, but Axel. Roxas yelped and practically fell out of his seat at the sight.

Cloud nearly choked on his food upon Roxas's reaction to seemingly nothing. "What the hell, Roxas?" Cloud wheezed out when he was able to talk.

"I, uh…" he fished around for a lie. "I thought I felt something brush up against my leg. It startled me, but I'm okay now." He glared at Axel's head coming up from his food.

"This is the second time you've freaked out about something at dinner in the past two days. Are you sure you're okay?" Cloud arched a concerned eyebrow at him, Leon matching his expression, but slightly more subtle.

"Just peachy," the blond responded, driving his fork into Axel's forehead.

The ghost stuck his tongue out at him, then promptly disappeared. Roxas let out a sigh of relief, then turned his attention back to his brother and Leon. The two were giving each other worried looks. Great, they were talking silently again… He hated when they did that.

"Oookay, well I'll just back to doing homework then." Roxas excused himself, leaving the two lovers to discuss Roxas's behavior. Or rather send messages to each other through eyebrow wiggles, or whatever the hell they did.

Axel reappeared at his side as he entered his room.

"What the hell was that about?!" Roxas demanded as he shut the door to his room with a bit more force than necessary.

"_Aw, come on. It's not like when I'm bored I can pick up a book or play a videogame. Cut me a little slack."_

"So now you've taken to terrorizing me. Fan-fucking-tastic." He slumped on his bed, letting his head fall into his hands.

"_You love it. I know."_

"Love it like shoving a knife up my ass."

"_Oohh, Kinky."_

He looked up at him and raised his eyebrows in disbelief at his statement. "God, do you ever stop?"

"_It goes along with my charm and incredible good looks." _He smirked and struck a pose, flipping his hair over one shoulder.

"Right… How I ever put up with you before, I'll never know."

Axel smiled, but the expression soon faded. He appeared to be deep in thought, of what Roxas could only assume was their past life together; the life he didn't remember.

After a moment of silence, Roxas asked Axel a question he'd been thinking about ever since he met Axel. "We're… best friends, right? How long did I know you?"

Still in his reverie, Axel chuckled sadly and shook his head, responding, _"I'm not even sure."_

"How old were we?"

Axel started, Roxas's question bringing him out of his train of thought. He was suddenly defensive. _"Why does that matter?"_

Roxas raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Was Axel hiding something? He let it go for now, wanting to trust Axel's motives. "… I guess it doesn't."

Axel let out a heavy sigh as he went into a squat on the floor. _"Don't you have homework you should be doing?"_

"Yeah, I should get on that." Jeez, he must've hit a nerve with that one. How old was Axel anyway? Definitely older than himself. Maybe that's why Axel didn't want to mention ages. Because he was older than him and he was afraid Roxas would be put off by that?

He sighed as he dug his calculus book out of his bag. Despite having conversations with a dead guy in his room, he still had to do calculus homework.

--

After an hour of headache-inducing math problems, he finally finished, letting out a groan as he fell backward onto his bed.

Axel had left him earlier claiming that being in the same room as calculus would melt his brain, causing him to only be able to communicate by show tunes. Roxas all but threw him out.

"_I hear groaning and you're on your bed. What am I missing out on_?" Axel's voice sounded from out of nowhere.

"Perv. Why are you here? My calculus book is still open. I could start up again at any moment."

"_Hey, I like show tunes. You're the one who would have to suffer."_

"… Good point. So could you materialize already? Your disembodied voice kind of freaks me out."

"_Oh, sure. Sorry." _Axel's form shuddered into view… right next to Roxas on his bed.

"Whoa!" Roxas sat up with a start upon realize his close proximity with the ghost.

"_Jeez, calm down, Roxy. Why do you always flip a shit when I'm near you? It's not like I'm going to hurt you. I'm not even capable of that. Literally."_ He waved his arms around to make them pass through every object that they could reach, emphasizing his point.

Roxas eased back down onto the bed, realizing that perhaps he may have over-reacted. "I know… It's just a little weird, okay? I know you're probably used to being able to do things like that with me, but I still barely know you."

Axel shifted, the normally creaky bed not even noticing he was there, and fixed an intent gaze on Roxas. _"So, what do you want to know? Ask me anything."_

Roxas wavered. "I-I don't…" Axel's eyes were too intense. Though a watery blue-grey now, he could sense the fire behind them, delving down into his very being.

"'_You don't' what? Come on, Roxas." _The eyes narrowed, growing impatient.

"I-I don't know." Roxas shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't think."

"_You say you want to know more about me, but you can't even think of a measly 'what's your favorite color!'"_ Axel stood, his legs going right through the bed, and threw his hands up in frustration. _"Seriously, Rox. I doubt how much you're trying."_

"How much _I'm_ trying?! Do you have _any_ idea of how hard this is for me? A ghost, which I thought only existed in horror flicks, comes to me and claims that he's my best friend and that I just 'forgot' him. Then proceeds to say that I have to help him move on because I'm keeping him tied down here. So you just expect me to welcome you into my life with open arms? _Fuck_, Axel. Can't you see what's wrong here?"

Axel was silent, his eyes downturned away from where Roxas sat breathing heavily, winding down from his outburst.

After a moment, with a voice filled with apology, he said, _"I'm sorry Roxas. I lost control. You're accepting me is more than I could have ever hoped for, and I almost ruined it because of my own selfishness. Please don't think badly of me. I just… I missed you, Rox."_

Roxas softened his expression at Axel's words. It must be hard for him too. Now Roxas wasn't one for sappy friendship talks, but he had to say _something. _"We're both struggling right now. We're going to have to work together for this, okay?" He awkwardly inched closer to Axel to show him he wasn't mad.

"_Yeah…"_ Axel looked up at him, dead eyes reflecting total relief and a bit of weariness from fighting. _"We can do this, right Roxy?"_ He grinned.

Roxas couldn't help but smile back. "Only if you stop calling me that."

"_No can do, Roxy."_ His grin transformed into a smirk.

Roxas fake-punched Axel in the shoulder, the cold traveling all the way up his arm.

"_What do you know? There are perks to this job."_

"Shut it, ass hat," Roxas retorted as he hugged his hand to his chest to get some warmth back in it.

"_You should sleep now, don't you think?"_

"Sleep?" Roxas looked at the clock on his wall. "It's only 9."

"_Well fine, I guess you won't have the privilege of my tucking you in then."_

Roxas made a face. "Where are you going?"

"_I have some ghostly business to attend to."_

Ghostly business…? "Like what?"

"_Like, things for ghosts. You know."_

Blink. "Not really…"

"_Well good! Means you're not dead. But I am, so I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Gets some sleep."_

"Alright…" Was it just him, or did Axel seem to be hiding more and more things from him?

"_Later, Rox."_ He gave a brief wave before he melted away from Roxas's view.

The abrupt silence engulfed him. He suddenly felt very alone… He was beginning to think that maybe he should have taken Axel up on tucking him in.

--

Axel strode down the long hall to the massive double doors at the end. His held his head high and kept eyes confident despite being silently terrified underneath his flawless façade.

He reached the doors and tugged them open, stepping into a circular room embellished with 13 tall chairs.

"Ah, there you are VIII. Please take a seat."

* * *


	3. Hurts, Don't It?

Finally, the third chapter is up! I'm such a slow poke... .

Not too fond of this chappie, but I needed a bridge between 2 and 4. What I want to do with 4 is probably still way too soon, but I really want to get the action going! Oh well. I'll come up with something.

Enjoy! :D

* * *

Roxas groaned as his alarm clock invaded his dreams. He dragged his arm across his body and flung it onto the infernal contraption to silence it. School again? Why couldn't he just graduate already.

He hefted his tired body up into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The first thought into his head asked where Axel had gotten off to last night. The second was where Axel was now. He knew he couldn't exactly go looking for the ghost, so he begrudgingly got out of bed to get ready for the day.

He trudged down the stairs for breakfast, not noticing his brother currently getting his morning snog from his boyfriend in the doorway to the kitchen.

Cloud gasped as he saw his brother move into his line of vision and shoved a confused Leon off of him. "Uh, H-hey Rox. Want some eggs? Bacon? I'll get started right now!" He pushed off from the wall and dashed into the kitchen to cook.

Roxas and Leon exchanged equally baffled looks before shrugging it off and followed Cloud into the kitchen. The two sat at the table and watched as Cloud scrambled to scramble the eggs.

"You really don't hav-" Roxas said before getting cut off by Leon's 'don't even bother' look. Cloud was set on cooking him breakfast to hide his embarrassment from allowing his totally innocent little brother to see him second basing with his boyfriend.

As much as Roxas liked Cloud's cooking, he missed the way his brother used to be. It was nice that Cloud actually talked to him now, but he hated making him feel like he was responsible for filling in for their parents. Every time his brother did something for him, he felt guilty. He knew he was a burden to his brother. If it weren't for him, Cloud would be living with Leon in a house of their own. But instead, Cloud opted to stay here and take care of Roxas until he went to college. Sure, he only had one semester of high school to go, but he really hated being the problem in Cloud's life.

Cloud set down a plate in front of him with a clatter, bringing Roxas out of his reverie. Eggs and bacon cooked to perfection.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at Leon, but Leon shook his head. Roxas assumed that Cloud had asked if the brunet wanted anything, but the brunet said no. He was starting to pick up on some of their communication techniques.

…But then they'd go and stare at each other for 20 minutes and he'd be completely lost.

Roxas finished up his breakfast, thanked his brother, and went to get ready for school. Usually Axel would have shown up by now. Where was he?

--

"Okay. What the hell. He's doing it again. Do you believe this, Olette?"

Olette made a face at her friend before turning to Roxas. "Are you sure you're okay, Roxas? Are you looking for someone?"

Roxas jerked his head around to face her instead of behind him. Where the hell was that see-through son-of-a-bitch? "Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine." He purposely left off the answer to the second question.

Pence and Olette exchanged worried glances while Hayner just rolled his eyes.

"Seriously. You sure you're alright? You've been jittery all day. What's eating you?"

Roxas immediately came up with a lie. He was getting good at this. He let out a dramatic sigh and hung his head. "It's Seifer, okay? I'm worried. I haven't seen him since we got back. Do you think he's planning something?"

"It's _Seifer_. He's not smart enough to plan. Besides, I saw him yesterday," Hayner idly remarked as he bit into his sandwich.

"You saw him?" Roxas and Pence asked together.

"Yeah. Saw him in History when I was roaming the halls during third period."

Olette cast him a sidelong glance. "That's when you have Calculus. Is that why you're failing?"

"What does it matter? Anyway, Seifer is still around."

"Fan-fucking-tastic." Roxas played up the moment and let his head droop. Seifer was pretty annoying, but he wasn't anything to lose sleep over.

--

Roxas shoved his icy hands into his pockets to defrost as he walked along the span of the courtyard toward the road to his house. School was over and he had yet to see or hear the ghost. He knew Axel had said he had some "ghostly business" he had to take care of, but he didn't think it would last this long.

"Hey. Chickenwuss."

Roxas stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that call. Just ignore him, Roxas. Keep walking.

A hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you."

Roxas turned sharply, shrugging the hand off, to face the threat. "What do you want, Seifer?"

The towering teen shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a new semester. I think we should celebrate."

Roxas was feeling particularly bold today, or perhaps suicidal. "Yeah, jeez. I didn't think you'd make it this far into the year considering how last year went for you. That alone calls for celebration."

That set the older blond off immediately. Before Roxas could even process if the older blond had understood his taunt or not, his fist contacted with Roxas's jaw, making him stumble backward.

The sting settled in after the shock wore off. Roxas lifted a hand to wipe blood from his busted lip. Roxas could take a hit. He'd been taking them all his life. He stood his ground and glared back at the older blond.

"Not enough for you, huh?" Seifer grinned cockily and went back in for a punch to Roxas's stomach.

Roxas sidestepped and gave him a retaliating kick in his knee. Seifer let out a yelp and fell forward onto the pavement.

"Ha!" Roxas shouted happily and started running off toward the street while Seifer was down. Before he could take two steps, Seifer's cronies Rai and Fuu had grabbed him by the arms, effectively keeping him in place.

Seifer carefully shoved himself off the ground and gave Roxas a look that meant death. Roxas cursed silently for ever thinking himself so bold and thrashed around furiously to free himself from Rai and Fuu's hold on him.

Seifer advanced toward him and Roxas braced himself for his immanent beating.

… But it never came. He peeked back at his attacker and his eyes widened as he processed what he saw.

Seifer had frozen in place, his face completely blank. Then he blinked, seeming to get ahold of himself again. But he seemed different this time. For one, he wasn't punching him. Two, he suddenly became fascinated with himself. Three, he sounded like Axel. …Wait- Axel?!

"Whoa! This is awesome!" came Axel's voice from Seifer's body. "I mean… -cough- You…" He pointed at Roxas, "You… will face my wrath some other day. Not today. In fact, I think I need a taste of my own wrath instead." Then he promptly socked himself in the face, then in the stomach, and again in the face.

Rai and Fuu dropped Roxas's arms and rushed over to Seifer to stop him.

"Seifer! Cut it out, y'know!" Rai ordered as he grabbed at Seifer's hands.

"Cease!" Fuu shouted as she hit him upside the head.

Axel's laughter sounded from Seifer's mouth. "You better get out of here, Blondie! Things are about to get ugly."

Despite his utter confusion, Roxas took his advice and ran out of the courtyard. He rounded the surrounding wall and ducked behind a bush, but made sure he could still see what was happening with Seifer.

It appeared that Seifer had control over his body again and was trying to sort out what had occurred over the past couple minutes. Roxas suppressed his laughter as Rai and Fuu relayed the events to an increasingly enraged Seifer.

Roxas was sure that had been Axel somehow controlling the blond. That had been the first time he'd heard from Axel all day, and it wasn't even from his own freaky see-through body. He really wanted to talk to him and ask where he had been all day, but he seemingly had already disappeared again.

Roxas let out a sigh as he rose from his crouched position and turned toward his home to-… find that Hayner was right in front of him.

"Whoa!" Roxas started upon seeing his friend. "Sorry, Hay. You scared me."

Hayner blinked, unperturbed, and reached a hand up toward Roxas's face.

This day just kept getting weirder and weirder… "W-what're you doing, Hayner?"

"You're hurt…" was his friend's only reply before he reached up to wipe away the blood from his bottom lip.

Roxas jumped back from the intimate contact. "Hayner…?" Then it donned on him. "Wait a minute… Axel!!" Roxas narrowed his eyes at the smirk growing on his friend's face.

"Isn't this great Roxas?! Now I can touch you!" Axel, in Hayner's body, scooped Roxas up into a tight hug, lifting the blond off the ground.

"Augh! Put me down!!" Roxas squirmed and hit his friend's shoulders.

Axel obliged, but failed to hold in a chuckle as Roxas huffed and smoothed his clothes.

"Is this what you've been doing all day? Learning to inhabit people's bodies?"

"Naw, Dem showed me that a while back. I'd never actually done it though. It's freaking awesome." Axel spun around once, then reached up to tousle Roxas's hair.

Axel laughed triumphantly as Roxas pouted and frantically tried to flatten out his hair.

"So then, what _were_ you doing?" Roxas urged.

Axel's change in demeanor was evident in Hayner's face. "I told you I had some stuff to take care of, Rox. But, speaking of Demyx, I told him we'd meet up with him again today. You up for that?"

"Yeah, sure," said Roxas as he smoothed down one last hair. Maybe he could get some information from Demyx about what Axel was doing. He would be a lot easier to crack.

"Then let's go!" Axel proclaimed cheerily as he marched off toward the street.

"Uh, Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to give my friend back his body first."

"Oh." Axel looked down at Hayner's body sheepishly. "Right. You should walk a little further down first. I'm sure he'll have a lot of questions for you after he gets his body back if you're standing right next to him."

"…Okay," Roxas reluctantly agreed. He began off down the road to give Hayner some space for when he returned possession of his body.

As much as he kept turning to look at his friend, he missed the actually moment where Axel left. When he looked back, Hayner was shaking his head and wobbling about.

"_Well! That was fun. I'll definitely have to tell Demyx about it when we see him_." Axel had already materialized at Roxas's side before he even had the chance to face forward again.

"Is he at the university with Zexion again?"

Axel nodded and the two made their way up to the entrance where they were promptly greeted by Demyx.

"_Axel! Roxas! So glad you could make it!"_ The blond bounded over to them and pulled them both into a tight group hug.

"Ack!" Roxas exclaimed with a shiver as he felt Demyx's arms whoosh right through him.

"_Uhehe. Sorry."_ Demyx scratched the back of his head apologetically. "_Sometimes even I forget."_

"Hello again," greeted Zexion from a distance behind Demyx.

"_Demyx! You'll never guess what I did today! I totally inhabited two peoples bodies!" _Axel excitedly proclaimed, completely ignoring Zexion's greeting.

"_Whoa, hey! Nice! What for?"_

"_Saving little Roxy's life."_Axel grinned proudly and winked in Roxas's direction. Roxas gave him an accompanying eye roll.

Demyx's eyes lit up. _"For real?! What happened?"_

"_There Roxy was: outside of school, about to head home. When all of a sudden! Seifer came out of nowhere and was all, 'I'm gonna punch your lights out so hard, you're grandchildren will still be paying your bills!' And I was all, 'Oh no you don't.' So I took over his body and made him punch his own lights out! Then Rai was all, 'You crazy, Seifer, y'know?!' and Fuu was all, 'SHIT' and then Roxy got away safe and sound."_

"_Woooooow," _Demyx marveled starry-eyed at Axel's heroics.

"You forgot the part where I got punched." Roxas indicated his split lip and bruise forming on his cheek.

Demyx gasped and thrust his face up near Roxas's wound. "_You poor thing! I can't believe Axel let this happen to you!"_

"_Hey! I saved him, didn't I? I just got there a bit late…"_

"If you three are done here, I would like to get out of the cold," Zexion finally spoke up.

"_Oh! Of course, Zexy! I'm so sorry_!" Demyx rushed over to his love-interest's side. _"Where do you want to go?"_

Zexion thought for a moment. "I guess we could go up to my dorm. Roxas, will you be attending here next year?"

"Hopefully. Haven't gotten an acceptance letter yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll get in."

"Then let this be an informative experience for you." Zexion nodded before proceeding to lead the way to his dorm room.

Roxas shuffled after him as the ghosts floated alongside them, talking amongst themselves. While he was here, he thought he might as well get a feel for the campus.

Roxas observed his surroundings as the group made their way up to Zexion's room. When they got to it, Zexion's roommate burst through the door.

"AH!" the black-haired male shouted as he practically collided with Roxas. "S-sorry! Oh! Zexion!" he exclaimed when he spotted his roommate with the blond he almost bulldozed. "Is this your new boyfriend?! He's adorable! I approve." The male nodded at Roxas, and then at Zexion.

Zexion rolled his eyes. "No, he's merely an acquaintance. Zack, this is Roxas. Roxas, this is my roommate, Zack."

"Pleasure to meet you!" Zack beamed at him.

"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you too," Roxas responded, still a bit dazed from the almost-collision and from yet again being described as 'adorable'. "Were you in a hurry, or something?"

"Oh! Right. On my way to a meeting. Very nice to meet you though!" He waved as he jogged down the hallway, almost bumping into another student as he went.

In the aftershock of the unconventional meeting, it was Demyx who piped up plainly with _"… I like Zack."_

Axel chuckled and clapped his friend on the shoulder. _"You would, Demyx."_

"He always laments not being able to talk with him and tries to get me to say things to him for him," Zexion commented as he led them into his room.

Axel snickered upon hearing that. _"Poooor Dem. Being dead is tough, huh?"_

Demyx play-sniffled and nodded.

Roxas leaned over to Zexion and whispered, "I think being dead automatically makes you intolerable to alive people."

Was that a smile? Roxas got a smile out of Zexion! And a certain ghost did not fail to notice.

His ghost seemed to catch it too. He didn't expect to see Axel getting jealous. Ohhh dear. He had not intended this at all…

"_H-hey Zexy!"_ the jealous Demyx flew to his infatuation's side to try to get his attention back to him. _"Remember when I compared Zack to a puppy?"_

That elicited another smile from the usually gloomy Zexion. Coupled with a chuckle! Perhaps Roxas had merely cracked his shell of stoicism.

"It's true. His personality does match that of a puppy. Not unlike someone else I know…" Zexion raised an eyebrow in Demyx's direction.

Demyx was practically glowing. Roxas couldn't help but smile when he saw how happy that small display of affection had made the ghost.

… But Axel was still brooding. Dammit. Roxas made his way over to Axel's side and raised a concerned eyebrow as if to ask, "What's wrong?"

The ghost merely ignored him, finding the floor to be incredibly interesting.

Roxas suddenly felt a buzzing in his pants. He started before realizing it was his phone in his pocket. He dug it out and promptly answered.

"Hello?"

"Roxas? Where are you?"

It was Cloud. He should have thought to call him earlier… "… I'm with some friends."

"Which friends? Hayner just came by here looking for you, so I know you're not with him."

"I'm at the university." Roxas was beginning to get defensive and tried not to make it sound in his voice too much, but it managed to slip through.

"The university? Why are you there?"

"Just hanging out. Is there a problem with that?" Roxas gritted his teeth. Why was Cloud being so over-protective?

"Yes there is. You need to tell me when you're going to be doing something other than coming home or going to your usual spot. I had no idea where you were!"

"I'm sorry, Cloud. I guess I just… forgot."

"Yeah, well… you need to come home now."

"What?! Why?" Cloud was being totally harsh.

"Consider it punishment or whatever."

"Ugh. Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. _Now_."

Roxas let out a groan as he hung up and put his phone away. "Sorry guys, I have to get going. My brother's mad at me."

"_Awww, alright. I'll see you tomorrow, then?" _Demyx asked hopefully from his crush's side.

"Sure, Demyx." Roxas managed a smile for the affectionate ghost.

"See you then," Zexion said as a farewell.

"You coming, Axel?" Roxas attempted to make the ghost feel wanted.

Axel took his place beside him as a sign that he would go. The ghost wasn't even speaking to him now.

Roxas ignored it for the moment and waved one last goodbye before heading out.

As the two of them made their way in silence to Roxas's home, Roxas finally spoke about Axel's behavior.

"You're acting like a child, you know that?"

No response.

"Dammit, Axel! You act all high and mighty, but just one simple comment makes you turn into a spoiled brat! That's not the Axel I know. The Axel I know would punch the lights out of anyone who so much as looked at me."

That caught Axel's attention. _"…What?"_

Then Roxas finally realized what he said. It had just come out before he even knew what he was saying. "I… I'm not sure…"

Axel's eyes lit up with hope. _"Was that…? Did you remember?!"_

Roxas's mind was completely lost. Where had that come from? _Did_ he remember something? He fisted his hair in frustration. Why had he said that? "I-I don't know."

"_Roxas, I-…"_ He leaned in to grab Roxas by his shoulders but passed right through. Roxas shuddered violently from the force of Axel's attempted grasp. _"AUGH! I can't take this! Did you remember, or didn't you?"_

"I don't know! I didn't know what I was saying. It just came out. Maybe it was my subconscious or something."

"_Subconscious? So, you don't remember _consciously_, but it's still there. Right?"_

"… I guess?"

"_So all I have to do is get you to realize you remember…"_

As the cogs in Axel's mind began turning, Roxas continued on toward his home, his own mind still buzzing, before his ghostly friend could come up with any crazy ideas.

Roxas opened the door to his house and came face-to-face with a very pissed off bishounen.

"Heeey… loving big brother…" Roxas put on his best I'm-totally-innocent-and-adorable-and-you-have-no-reason-to-be-mad-at-me face.

Cloud scowled at him. "Roxas, I really hate to do this, but you need to tell me where you're going to be when you're not at home or school. What's been going on with you lately? Ever since your birthday you've been acting strangely. You know you can tell me anything. I _am_ your brother."

Roxas let out a sigh. "Are we seriously having this talk? I'm fine, Cloud. I just made a couple of new friends."

"New friends, huh? _College_ friends. How old are they? _Who_ are they? Do they do drugs? Do they drink?" Then his eyes widened as he saw his split lip and bruise on his cheek. "What happened to you?! Did you get in a fight?"

"Whoa, okay, slow down. Seifer hit me but I got away no problem. And I was just with Zexion and his roommate. Zexion is that super smart kid that's always on the news and in the papers and stuff. And his roommate, Zack , is really nice too."

"Zexion, huh? And Zack? Zack Fair? Black, spiky hair? Personality like a puppy?"

"Huh. Yeah. You know him?"

"I used to date him! And you ran into him?"

"Actually he ran into m-"

"That's so great! Is he still doing his military stuff?"

"I, uh, I guess. You dated him? Why'd you break up? Was he too talkative for you?" Roxas alluded to the ever-taciturn Leon.

Cloud gave him a look that only a perturbed brother can give. "Nooo. We had conflicting views. You remember when I was getting into the military? He was first-class and I was learning under him, but I didn't like where the military was going, so I quit. He still supports them though. In fact, it was when I started dating him that I realized I was gay."

"Yeah, that would do it. Dating a dude, I mean."

"Shut it, you. I'm still mad! But that's cool that you're friends with them. Anyway, go to your room."

"How again are we related?" Roxas added as he slunk off toward his room.

"Love you too, brother," Cloud called after him.

--

"_Roxas!"_ Axel popped up next to him for the ninth time that night. _"Do you remember that time we floated around in that tower and freaked out those kids? That was great!"_

Roxas let his head droop onto his desk. "Axel, I've finally finished my homework, so the least you could do is shut up now."

Axel had been trying to get him to remember anything from his previous life with him since Roxas's episode earlier.

The ghost pouted in protest. _"But Roxas, if you remember that would make things _sooo_ much easier."_

"Sorry, Axel, but I don't think you're going about this the right way." Roxas closed his book with a satisfying thump.

"_I don't think you would much appreciate the other way I have in mind. Well, not yet, at least_," Axel responded with a smirk.

"You… need some serious help."

Axel let out a chuckle, followed by a gasp. Roxas turned quickly to face the ghost to see what had caused the sudden reaction.

"Urk. Sorry, Rox. Ghost business again. I gotta go." Axel jerked his thumb over his shoulder to emphasize urgency.

Roxas raised an inquisitive eyebrow. _"Are you summoned by the ghost signal or something?"_

"_Ha. No. It's called a clock."_ Axel indicated the clock on Roxas's wall, which currently told that it was eleven o'clock on the dot.

"Oh… Do you have to leave every night at 11?"

"_Pretty much. Unless there's some sort of emergency or special occasion of sorts."_

Roxas thought he might try his luck. "Does Demyx have to go too?"

"_Yeah. Everybody in the Organization has t-… Waaait a minute. I see what you did there, little Roxy. You won't get any more out of me! Besides, I really have to go now. Get some sleep. I'll try to be here for when you wake up, but if I'm not, then for sure I'll be back after you're done with school."_

"Oh, don't let me interfere. Take as long as you want." Roxas said teasingly.

"_I know you miss me when I'm gone. Hell, when I was alive, I missed myself every time I went to sleep."_

"Aren't you running late?"

"_Ah! Yes! Sweet dreams, Rox."_ Before either of them knew what was happening, Axel leaned in and gave Roxas a quick kiss on the forehead.

Axel realized what he did as Roxas sat stunned on his bed. _"Shit…"_ Axel cursed himself for slipping up like that and mumbled an apology as he faded out of Roxas's vision.

Roxas blinked before rubbing the Axel germs off of his forehead. "Ugh, that idiot…"

--

Number II strode down the long hallway to meet up with number VIII, who had just materialized at the end of the corridor. As he advanced toward his underling, he noted the time and asked him where he had been.

"_Sorry, superior. Just trying to do my job," _Axel answered with complete confidence that Xigbar wouldn't rat him out.

"_Xemnas is gonna freak. I don't suppose you have Demyx with you either, huh?"_

"_Nah, he late again, too?"_

"_You dudes have really gotta step it up. You're going to get in some major trouble if you don't report to Xemnas right away."_

Axel pointed down the long hallway toward his destination. _"I'm on it."_


	4. Memories

Very, very short little bridge between chapters 3 and 4. Just a fluff moment. ^^ They needed more bonding time before I hit them with all the crap of chapter 4. XD But 4 will be up very soon! I'm almost done with it. Enjoy this in the mean time!

* * *

"Axel, get down from there!" Roxas shouted at the redhead currently balancing himself on the ledge surrounding the top of the clock tower.

Axel merely laughed at his plight. "What, Roxy? You scared?" Axel teased before his eyes went wide as he stumbled backward toward the edge.

Roxas gasped and reached a hand out before Axel regained his footing and smirked deviously.

The younger male frowned and slapped his friend as he took a seat next to him. "You know I hate when you do that."

"Well you know that I hate to not do it," The redhead beamed at him.

Roxas rolled his eyes and diverted them back to the sunset. Then Axel's hand gripped his wrist as he brought it toward him. "W-what-" Roxas queried before Axel licked the length of the ice cream in Roxas's hand, making the blond flush at the implications.

"Your ice cream is melting," Axel stated, eyes low-lidded. "If you don't eat it, I will." He emphasized his point by taking a small bite from the top.

"Hey, cut it out." The blond pouted as he pulled his wrist free and brought his ice cream to his own mouth to nibble on.

Axel let out a sigh and propped himself up with his hands out behind him. "This really is a perfect night."

"Tch. I'd hardly call it that. How can you say that when we're stuck in such a loathsome world?" Roxas groused.

"Because I get to be here with you." Axel regarded his best friend with a soft smile.

"_Roxas…?"_

Roxas blinked and shook himself out of the memory that had just surfaced in his mind. "Yeah, sorry, what?"

"_Your ice cream is melting_." Axel pointed to the forgotten treat held loosely in his hand.

Roxas gazed at the sky blue ice cream as a drop of liquid rolled off of it and fell down several stories from the top of the clock tower, to the ground below. Roxas couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "So it is."


	5. I'd Tell You, But I'd Have to Kill You

Alrighty. Now it's time to get things rolling. Perhaps too soon, but I am impatient. XD

* * *

Roxas strode down a dark alleyway, irritated by something he couldn't remember. He was headed somewhere, he was sure of it. He fought to recall exactly why he was there and what he was doing, when a sound from behind him startled him to a halt. He spun to face behind him as a familiar voice called out his name.

"It's not nice to sneak up on people, Axel."

Axel took a few steps forward out of the shadows that concealed him. "Since when did you start caring about being 'nice'?"

"Since you started sneaking up on me." Roxas leaned against the wall closest to him and raised his chin in a subtle defiance.

Axel let out a soft chuckle as he advanced toward the blond intently. "I've never known you to like it nice, Roxy," Axel whispered huskily as he closed the distance between them, pinning the blond's hands above his head with one of his own.

"So, I lied." Roxas stretched out his neck away from the wall and toward his captor. He longed for the pressure of those lips against his own.

Axel wouldn't give him what he wanted that easily. "Do you know what happens to liars, Roxas?" The older male slid his leg between Roxas's and applied a gentle pressure between his thighs.

Roxas felt Axel's hot breath ghost over his face. Those lips were but a centimeter away now. "No, tell me," Roxas played along.

"They get punished." Axel let his lips brush Roxas's before he bit the blond's lower lip teasingly.

Roxas couldn't help the moan that escaped his lips. He needed him closer, dammit. He struggled against the hand that held his wrists against the wall, but Axel just reinforced his hold with his other hand.

"Ah ah ah, little Roxy." Axel smirked and pressed his thigh against him even harder. Roxas had to swallow another groan. Why the hell was he losing his wits this easily? He would _not_ beg…

"Axel…" his voice betrayed him. Get it together, Roxas. It's not begging if you make it into a threat, right? "Axel, if you don't fuck me right now, I'll-"

Then Axel's lips were against his. He kissed him harshly; deeply. Roxas kissed back fiercely, finally getting what he wanted. He shoved his tongue past Axel's teeth, savoring the sensation. He hardly even noticed the hand that slowly unzipped his cloak completely until it crept down his chest, across his abdomen, and finally-

_-Debes estar bastante cansada porque has estado corriendo por mi mente toda la noche-_

_-hahahahaha-_

"Nnngh…" Roxas rolled over in his bed and looked at his new digital alarm clock. Stupid thing was set on a Spanish station. He smacked it a few times until the contraption finally silenced. Then he promptly began hitting his head against his pillow. This was the third time over the past week and a half he had had a dream like that. He was tired of waking up in the morning with the same _problem_.

--

Roxas was glad it was a Saturday. Cloud was at Leon's so he didn't get a delicious breakfast, but that meant he had the house to himself. Axel was still out for one of his ghost meetings and the stereo was _right there_.

He grabbed his guilty pleasure CD, and with a glance over his shoulder, popped it in. Soon, Jesse McCartney's dulcet tones sang out to him from the speakers. But, Roxas had chores to do, so he broke out the duster and got to it, shaking his butt in time with the music.

"_Roxas!"_

Roxas practically jumped out of his skin and flew to press the pause button. Why did Axel always show up when he least wanted him to?

"_Were you just-"_

"No," Roxas cut him off with a nervous smile.

The ghost shook his head to clear his thoughts then began again. _"Roxas, there's been an emergency."_

Roxas deadpanned. "W-what?"

"_It's Demyx. He's been sentenced to, well, not death, but, worse than that actually. They're making him a slave to the organization. He'll never be able to pass on. He'll be stuck working like a dog for the rest of eternity."_

"B-but… Why would they do that? What has he done wrong?" Roxas couldn't wrap his mind around it. It happened too fast, and entirely without warning. He couldn't see the guy ever doing anything malicious.

"_He… Well, okay. I have some explaining to do."_ Axel let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

Roxas tilted his head to the side. Was he finally going to tell him about all the things he had been keeping secret?

"_You know how Demyx always hangs out with us, right? Well, he's not supposed to. Each ghost must stay with their anchor and their anchor alone. You were never supposed to know that Demyx existed."_

"So, we were breaking the rules just by my seeing him? Why chance it just for me?"

Axel's eyes grew sad, and his voice, low. "_Demyx was your friend too, Roxy. He wanted to see you."_

A glimpse of Demyx's smiling face flashed in his mind's eye. Demyx was… blond? Just a bit darker than his own hair. Blue eyes, too. "I did know him… didn't I?"

Axel nodded. Roxas had told Axel about his dreams. Well, not the gay parts, but just that he had began remembering bits and pieces of their life together. He had never remembered anything about Demyx until this moment, though.

"We have to do something. Maybe I can tell them it was all my fault. What's the worst they could do? Kill me?"

"_But it wasn't your fault, Roxas. Demyx and I- we messed up."_

"Why aren't you getting punished too, then?" Roxas retorted. He was growing angrier by the minute. He had to be able to do _something_ to help…

"… _I am, Rox. I'm… I'm not going to be allowed to see you anymore. They gave me this one last time to say goodbye."_

"Wait… You can't be serious. This is all a joke, right? 'Ha ha, Roxas, you're actually stuck with me for all eternity'… right?"

Axel's expression said otherwise. He was completely serious, and truly heartbroken. There was a sadness to those grey eyes that Roxas had never thought existed.

"You're… not joking." Roxas all but collapsed onto the floor. The weight of the situation was too much for him to bear. His head was swimming with images of Axel and Demyx in places he had never been, with people he had never known.

"_I really wish I was. I don't think I can handle losing you twice."_ Axel hung his head, but then a sparkle appeared in his eyes. "_Which is why I won't be giving up that easily. I'm going to fight them. The entire organization. I'll free Demyx and myself from right under their noses. They won't know what hit 'em!_"

Roxas about had whiplash from the change in Axel's countenance. "What? How in the hell will you do that? You're just one person going against an entire undead corporation!"

"_Ah, but you forget."_ Axel wagged his finger in front of Roxas's nose. "_I'm me. I'll think of something._" Axel grinned smugly.

Roxas sincerely doubted that. The organization seemed like some serious business to him. But… what else did he have to hope for? "You promise?"

Axel peered down at him, eyes shining with confidence, and something else Roxas couldn't quite pin down. _"I promise."_

And with that, Axel extended a hand toward the younger male. Instinct kicked in as Axel held out his hand to him. Roxas reached his own out as well, his fingers expecting Axel's warm, caring touch, only to slip right through, sending icy splinters up along his arm.

Axel gave one last sad smile, before disappearing from Roxas's living room, and his life.

--

Roxas continued about his usual routine in the ghost's absence. He woke up, went to school, came home, ate dinner with Cloud and Leon, did his homework, and went to bed.

He tried to hang out at the usual spot with his friends, he really did. But soon he found that he could never really join in on their conversations about school or the beach or who was dating who. It all seemed so… insignificant.

It had been 3 weeks since Axel's disappearance and Roxas found that he actually missed the guy. It didn't help that the flashbacks hadn't stopped. Each one was like a vice on his heart that kept getting tighter and of which he had no control. It was like someone else's memories had been transplanted into his mind and he had been photoshopped in. But yet… he felt every emotion as if it were his own. He felt connections to the people he was with. He remembered things that he shouldn't, like Demyx's favorite band, Axel's shoe size, the way Axel's lips tasted…

He couldn't help but miss him; his memories wouldn't let him _not_.

That's when he decided he couldn't take it anymore. He had to talk to someone who would understand.

--

_-Knock knock knock-_

The door creaked open the slightest bit and half of Zexion's face appeared between the slit. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I just…" Roxas was beginning to think this was a bad idea. "… wanted to talk."

Zexion quirked his visible eyebrow. "About?"

Then the door swung open to reveal the entirety of Zexion's room and the person who had done the door flinging: Zack.

The dark-haired male's face broke into a grin upon recognizing him. "Hey!! I'm so glad you're back! Ever since you stopped coming by, Zexion's been such a grouch. All he ever does anymore is mope around and complain. _Please_ tell me that you're here to take him out tonight."

"Uh, I'm here to take him out tonight?" Roxas gave him a hopeful grin.

Zexion panicked.

"Excellent! He's all yours." Then Zack shoved Zexion out of the room and into Roxas's arms, and promptly slammed the door.

Roxas blinked at the older male in his arms.

Zexion quickly righted himself and smoothed down his clothing frantically. "See what you did? Now I'm stuck with you…"

"Jeez, Zack was right. You are a grouch."

The frazzled man glared at the blond.

"You're only proving it further," Roxas teased.

Zexion let out a sigh and seemed to calm down a bit. "So… what was it you needed me for?"

"Oh, uh, right. I… just wanted to talk… about… things…" Roxas nervously lowered his voice toward the end of his sentence.

"Things?" Zexion queried.

"Like… dead… things…" Roxas whispered.

"What are you-" was all he managed before his visible eye showed that he had caught on.

"Yeah, so, maybe we should go elsewhere."

Zexion nodded before heading off down the hallway. The two made their way down the stairs and into the lounge area. They chose a couch in the furthest corner so no one would overhear their un-lively conversation.

"So," Roxas cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Did Demyx say anything before he left you?"

Zexion shook his head. "Not a thing. He left for one of his meetings and never came back. Did Axel manage to find anything out?"

"Axel's gone too. He had to leave shortly after Demyx. They got in trouble, you see. Axel and Demyx broke the rules by letting us see the other's ghost."

"So, what? Are they in detention?" Zexion scoffed.

"Much worse. They have to spend an eternity working for the organization. They'll be stuck there the rest of forever, unable to pass on."

Zexion blinked, unable to comprehend the severity of the situation.

"Like… _forever_," Roxas emphasized. Why wasn't Zexion worried?

"And how exactly does that concern me? I thought you'd be glad to get rid of that pest."

"_Pest_?" Roxas raised his voice. "They're _people_, Zexion. Or at least they used to be. People that cared so much about us that they were unable to let go and carry on with their afterlives."

"I still don't see your point," Zexion said, expression unchanged.

"Don't you get it??" Roxas stood abruptly and threw his arms over his head. "They're stuck! Because of us! Because of _ME_! I… I…" he trailed off.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt responsible. He had just cost his two best friends their _immortal souls_. That had to be like, the worst thing anyone could ever do. _Ever_. He had to do something.

Roxas turned his eyes back to Zexion and said, "You know what? I'm going to try to fix this. Whether you care or not, I do. And I'm going to do whatever I can to help them." Then he stormed out of the lounge, out of the campus, and back to his home.

--

Roxas buzzed around his bathroom, searching for an unused razor. He would kill himself. It was the only way to get into the world of the dead. He couldn't do anything from staying here on earth, where he couldn't even touch the ghosts, let alone save them from an evil organization.

He finally found a refill blade and went to the sink to fill it with water. As the liquid slowly filled the basin, he clutched the blade in his hand, thinking of how exactly he would be assured entrance into the organization. The person had to be tied to something on earth. What was he tied to? His friends? Cloud?

Cloud… His only real family left. What would Cloud do if he found him dead? At least he'd be relieved of his pesky little brother and he'd finally be able to live his life. No… Cloud didn't think of him like that. He cared for him. He loved him. He would be _crushed_. Without Roxas around, who would Cloud get to taste his cooking concoctions before he serves them to anyone? Who would give him fashion advice before he goes out with his boyfriend? Who would hit him when he gets too mopey? Who would… be his brother?

Roxas exhaled shakily and looked at his face in the mirror. What was he doing? He couldn't kill himself. He couldn't do that to the people he loved.

He turned the water off and looked the razor blade in his hand, then at his up-turned wrist resting on the sink. He couldn't believe he had almost killed himself…

"ROXAS!"

Roxas turned to see his brother, absolutely terrified, rushing toward him.

Before Roxas could react, Cloud had snatched the razor blade out of his hand and had grabbed his wrist with his free hand.

"Roxas, what the HELL were you planning on doing?!"

"N-nothing," the panicked blond tried to defend himself.

"This hardly looks like 'nothing' to me! I can't believe you would- Why didn't you just talk to me?"

"Cloud, it's not-"

"-What it looks like? Yeah, right. Then what was it you were doing?"

C'mon! Think, Roxas, think! "… Shaving?"

Cloud looked completely incredulous. Then his gaze softened and he let go of Roxas's wrist. "You scared me, Roxas. I know it's hard sometimes, but you can't just go and off yourself. People care about you Roxas. _I_ care about you. Please, _please_ just talk to me whenever you feel like no one understands or cares. You can't…" he let out a frustrated sigh and rested his forehead on Roxas's shoulder, "you can't leave me."

"I…" Roxas was at a loss for words.

"Go to your room. We'll talk about this in a minute, okay? _Please_ don't do anything rash."

"W-what are you going to do?" Roxas asked nervously.

"I have to make a call."

--

"And how does that make you feel?"

"… Perturbed." Roxas rolled his eyes for probably the hundredth time since he arrived here. He was sitting on a couch in a room decorated with potted plants and filing cabinets while some lady in horn-rimmed glasses scribbled down everything that was wrong with his mind.

"Roxas, we'll never get anywhere if you don't take this seriously."

"Well, I _seriously_ think this is a waste of my time." He crossed his arms over his chest as an act of defiance.

"Why do you think this is a waste of time?"

"Because I don't need help!" Roxas threw his arms up in exasperation.

The psychologist looked up at him instead of at her clipboard for the first time during their meeting because of his outburst. "Denial is the first step to-"

"AUGH," Roxas shouted.

"Roxas-" She tried to calm him.

"What? What do you want me to tell you? 'I see dead people?' Yeah, because that line hasn't been overused…" Roxas settled back down into the couch and resumed his previous position.

"Do you?" She returned her eyes to her clipboard and began scribbling.

Roxas was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected her to delve into his statement like that. He didn't exactly expect himself to say it, either. "I… I don't know."

"Do you see your parents?"

Roxas's eyes widened. He hadn't ever thought of that. Were his parents ghosts? Did they have something tying them here? No… They deserved more happiness than that… But then again, didn't Axel and Demyx? He was taking too long to answer now, lost in his own thoughts. "Uh, no. I actually… try not to think about them too much."

"Nn," she nodded and scribbled down more notes. "Well, Roxas. Our time is up for today."

"Thank _God_…" Roxas groaned as he pushed himself up from the couch.

"Your brother is waiting for you in the hallway."

"Yeah, yeah," Roxas waved his hand at her noncommittally as he disappeared out the door. He immediately spotted his brother on one of the benches reading one of his literature books.

"Faulkner, huh? Want to write my report for me?"

Cloud looked up and marked his page with a scrap of paper. "Hey, I've been through high school already. It's your turn." Then he passed off the book to the younger male, earning himself a playful scowl.

"Can we get out of here already? This place gives me the creeps. What with all the crazy people and such." Roxas glanced over his shoulder to make sure none of said 'crazies' had overheard him.

"Didn't go so well?" Cloud frowned as he handed him his helmet.

Roxas accepted it and began walking with Cloud out of the building. "This whole practice seems like bullshit to me."

Cloud shrugged. "Whatever helps, you know?"

"I guess…"

Cloud decided to quit beating around the bush and addressed the issue. "You hate me for making you do this, don't you?"

Roxas was momentarily caught off guard by his question. "Oh, no! I don't hate you… I just wish you would trust me." Roxas turned his eyes to the linoleum floor as they continued toward the exit.

Cloud mimicked his gaze. "I do trust you, Rox. I really hate to do this. But I worry, you know? What with our parents not around…"

"Cloud, you really don't have to worry. I'm legally an adult now. I don't need a parental figure anymore. What happened was… a temporary freak out. I stopped myself and I know I won't be trying it again."

"Well, just to be sure…"

"I know, I know," Roxas said as he looked back up at his brother, trying to ease his guilt.

Cloud gave him a rare, small smile before securing his helmet on his head as they walked toward his motorcycle.

--

Meanwhile…

Zexion was in his room, musing over what Roxas had said to him a few days previous. Even if he didn't care for his ghost, Roxas definitely cared for his.

"Hey Zack," Zexion said to get his roommate's attention.

"Hm?" Zack looked at him over his shoulder from his seated position at his desk.

"What was that contraption you mentioned earlier that one of your colleagues was working on?"

"Oh, that quack and his 'DMP'? What of it?"

"I was thinking of writing an article on it in my spare time. I'm very interested in seeing how exactly he proposes it to work."

"Sure. I'll take you there tomorrow. But I'll still never understand why you actually enjoy doing schoolwork," Zack said as he turned back to his chemistry lab report with a groan.

"This is mainly just for my own personal edification. I'm sure you'll be able to learn something, too."

"Whatever, Captain Ejaculation-pants," Zack snorted as he scribbled down data. Then, after a brief pause, he realized what he had just mis-said and burst into laughter.

Zexion laughed along with him. "I can't help but think you're studying a different kind of chemistry right now."

"What can I say?" Zack got out between guffaws, "You're little boyfriend is pretty cute. He reminds me of a guy I used to date."

"Yeah? Well don't get your hopes up. I think he has his eyes on someone else."

"Someone besides you? That's not too surprising. There's absolutely no chemistry between you two. I would know." Zack tapped his homework with his finger. "But strangely enough, you did seem happier around the time he showed up. Maybe it was just in the timing?"

"What grade do you have in that class, again?" Zexion raised an eyebrow at him.

"Fine, fine. Point taken." Zack frowned and returned to his work.

Zexion mimicked his frown. 'Timing' as in when Demyx had showed up… Maybe Zack was on to something. Then again, Zack really _was_ doing badly in chemistry.


	6. Dead Man's Portal

Oh, what could this be? An update? Why, yes, it does appear to be an update! :P Hey, everyone! If you're reading this, thanks so much for sticking around! I allllllmost decided to give up on this, but I do not want to be a quitter. So, hopefully, it'll be worth it.

Short chapter, I know. Kind of a transition chapter. I wrote more at the end but nothing really happened so I decided to take it out. You'd thank me, really. (Also, this is like, the lamest title ever. Please forgive me.)

Enjoy!

* * *

Zexion walked through the bustling hallways of the gigantic military lab in the University of Twilight Town following behind Zack, who was currently in uniform and ecstatic about showing off to his roommate.

"And over there is where we-"

Zexion had tuned out long ago. Sure, it was interesting… for about the first ten minutes.

"And here's your DMP. I honestly don't think it'll work though." Zack jerked his thumb toward the massive machine.

Zexion gazed at it with curiosity and hesitance. "We'll see about that."

--

"Roxas… we need to talk about something."

Roxas stopped in the middle of spreading a large quantity of peanut butter on a slice of bread and looked to his brother, measuring his expression in order to match his own response.

Cloud's expression was relatively unreadable, but, of course, quite serious. And Leon was next to him. Why was he here…? He cast the brunet a side-long glance as he answered with a question. "What about?"

Cloud looked unsure for a fraction of a second, until Leon slipped his hand into Cloud's. Ah. He was here for moral support. Cloud sucked in a breath and continued. "Your psychologist said that I should talk to you."

Roxas instantly went defensive. "Why? I'm fine. I was fine before and I'm fine now."

Leon gave Cloud's hand a squeeze, prompting him to continue. "… about our parents."

The younger blond's eyes widened at their mentioning. "W-what about them?" He stuttered, despite his best efforts to keep his cool.

Cloud hung his head. "We never really talk about them. That can't be… healthy."

"Acceptance isn't healthy? I've accepted it. They're dead. We cope. Life goes on for everyone else." Roxas was retreating inside himself. He didn't want to talk about this. Not at all. Not ever.

Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose between the thumb and forefinger of his free hand. Roxas could tell this was hard for him. "That's not… You're just burying it. You're not handling it in a healthy way."

"Oh yeah? What about you? You never talk about them either. Why don't you have to go to the loony bin?"

"Not as much as I should, I know. But I'm not the one who tried to kill himself."

As true as that was, it still hurt. Roxas saw Leon give Cloud a look as if to tell him to back off some; that he went too far. Cloud conceded with a shake of his head. He had already exhausted his attempt at a serious talk. He would have to try again later.

"Look, Roxas. Just… don't keep them locked up. They deserve better than that."

Roxas watched Leon and his brother walk off and spotted Leon putting a comforting arm around Cloud's waist as they rounded a corner out of his vision.

Roxas didn't want to think of his parents. They were safe locked in his mind. Preserved. It was better that way. …For everyone.

--

Zack stood agape, staring up at the massive mechanical structure whirring and buzzing noisily.

"I can't believe it even started up…"

"Truthfully, I, too, had my doubts." Zexion said as he backed away from the DMP, a smug smirk set on his lips from his achievement. "Now," Zexion turned to cast a business-like look on Zack, "I need to get to my writing." And then, to himself, he said, "But first I'll need to contact Roxas…"

"Roxas? Can't you just call him?"

"No, I never got his number."

"… You have some serious relationship problems, man."

Zexion just rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright. What's his last name? Surely it's in a student directory somewhere."

"Something like… Sundry… or… Stark… or…"

"Strife?" Zack's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, that was it."

Zack broke into a grin. "I knew he looked familiar! I used to date his brother! It seems that cuteness runs in the family. Their parents must have been_ beautiful_."

Zexion was not amused. "Do you have his number?"

"I have his brother's, yeah. I'll let you call, because it's damn strange talking to exes."

Zexion blinked as Zack thrust his cell into his hands. "Fine," he conceded. "What's his name?"

"Cloud."

"How… original." Zexion idly commented as he found his name in Zack's contacts and pressed the call button.

Zexion listened as it rang a couple times, then it stopped. He looked at the phone and saw that it had been answered. Tentatively, he questioned the presence, "Hello?"

"Who is this?" A surly voice sounded back.

"U-um, this is Zexion. I'm calling to speak to your brother, but I never got his number."

"Then how the hell do you have this one?"

"I- oh, my roommate, Zack Fair, said he knew you."

"Zack? Is he there?" There was a change in the tone of voice Zexion couldn't quite identify.

"Yeah, he's here." Zexion turned his body to look at the raven-haired male.

Zack shook his head and waved his arms about wildly to indicated that he did _not_ want to talk to him.

But Cloud didn't ask to talk to him. Instead, he merely asked, "Is he doing well?"

Zexion replied with a "yes."

Then began a pause. A long, awkward pause. Zexion soon felt that this was a very bad idea.

"I'll go get Roxas."

Zexion let out a breath a relief.

Finally, Roxas was on the phone. Zexion told him to come down to the university where he would meet him. When Roxas asked what for, Zexion simply replied, "Axel."

--

When Roxas arrived on campus, Zexion directed him to his location via cell phone after getting his number from Cloud. As Roxas approached the massive contraption, his jaw dropped and confusion knitted his brow.

"Um, so what is this exactly and what does it have to do with Axel?"

Zexion smirked knowingly and gestured to it, saying, "_This_ will take us to Axel's world."

"Ha! Yeah. Right. You expect me to believe that?" Roxas planted his hands on his hips.

"Actually, no. That's why I'm going to show you."

Roxas made a face at him as he fired it up. There was some clanging and whirring, and at first, Roxas thought it would break down, right then and there. Sparks began shooting out from below what looked like a door, making him take a cautious step back. But soon enough, a black, swirling, semi-gaseous-looking substance filled the doorway.

"… Is that supposed to happen?" Roxas queried.

"I think so…"

The two watched the swirling matter for a while longer, until curiosity finally got the best of them.

"You go first," said Roxas as he nudged Zexion toward the door.

"What!" Zexion jumped back. "Why me?"

"Your idea."

"_Your_ boyfriend."

"I- He- He's not," Roxas stammered. "… Fine."

But he still deliberated. "Has anyone ever done this before? Like, do you have any idea what it'll be like in there?"

"Not a clue." Zexion stated. "But just in case, I got this rope to tie around you. I'll hold the other end out here, while you go in. This will just be a test. Once you say it's fine, then I'll come in too. Zack told the guys out here to check on this machine periodically to make sure things are still running smoothly. Nothing to worry about."

"… Right." He still wasn't convinced.

"Just… stick your toe in or something." Zexion motioned toward the door.

Roxas approached the door and scrutinized the strange black substance filling it. "You sure this isn't toxic?"

"Just do it already!"

"Alright, alright!" Roxas took in a deep breath, exhaled, and stuck his pinky finger into the swirling vortex. It felt as if he had stuck his finger into a sheet of plastic wrap, only with less resistance. He stuck it in further and felt it break through. He pulled it back out quickly, shocked at the feeling.

"So?" Zexion asked.

"I-" Roxas scrutinized his pinky, looking for any harm, discoloration, anything, but found that nothing was wrong. "I'm not sure."

He wanted to try again. He shoved his entire arm through the doorway, feeling the plastic wrap, then the breakthrough. He retracted it again, bringing it back for observation. Again, nothing.

"This is cool…" Roxas gazed at his arm in wonder.

"Yeah?" Zexion looked at Roxas's arm, then at the door. "Here, let's tie the rope around you now." He grabbed the rope and approached Roxas.

"Yeah, let's do that." Roxas gestured to his waist and grabbed an end of the rope. He was actually getting excited about this. He wrapped it around his middle, letting Zexion tie it in the back.

"Is it good?" Roxas asked as he tugged on it experimentally, making sure it wouldn't slip off right as he was about to be eaten by a giant ghost octopus.

"I think so." Zexion gave it a few tugs as well before stepping back, signaling Roxas to continue.

"I should probably make sure it has a _floor_ first." Roxas laughed. When had this become a laughing matter? Maybe he was having a little too much fun with this…

He went back to the door and stuck his leg in this time. He slowly brought it down to the level the floor on the outside was and, sure enough, hit something. "I think we have something here," he proclaimed. He shifted his weight onto his submerged foot, testing the floor's strength. It seemed to hold. In fact, everything seemed to be working out _too_ well.

"You're sure this isn't a trick?" Then again, if he could believe ghosts, he could believe this.

"I-" Zexion began, but then gave it more thought. "You know, I'm really not sure."

"Guess there's just one way to find out." Roxas took a deep, steadying breath, closed his eyes, and stuck his head in. The plastic wrap feeling was even stranger on his head. He could feel his hair being pushed down flat and his ears being covered. For a moment, he couldn't hear anything. Then he felt a rip at the top of his head signaling his entrance to the other side. He could still feel the plastic wrap around his neck from where the rest of his body remained on the other side, but it wasn't tight or uncomfortable. Just, noticeable.

He ever so slowly blinked his eyes open. There was no stinging: definitely a good sign. His vision was blurry though. Maybe he needed to adjust. He blinked a few more times and strained his eyes to make out whatever he could. He knew that it was bright. There was whiteness to his surroundings. White, grey, maybe some blue.

A tightening in his throat reminded him that he hadn't yet breathed and was starting to need that particular function pretty soon. He figured he might as well chance it.

He wished to inhale a small amount at first to test it, but his body decided that he needed more air than that. Still, Roxas breathed through his nose since he had once heard that it was better for you. He quickly choked and gagged, for there was nothing there to breathe. He yanked his head back out, gulping down air from the world that he knew.

Zexion rushed over to his side, asking questions and providing soothing statements.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Roxas assured him. "I don't think there's any air in there. At least, nothing we can breathe. I knew this was going too smoothly."

"Indeed. We're fortunate that this has been the only stitch. Were you able to open your eyes?"

"Yeah," Roxas replied, blinking in remembrance. "It didn't hurt, or anything. It was kind of blurry, though. I think I was starting to get used to it. I wasn't in there long enough to be sure."

"Did you manage to make out anything?"

Roxas shook his head. "Just some colors. There seemed to be light there. It was awfully white."

"That's a good sign. So it seems all we need is a couple of air tanks. Those shouldn't be too hard to acquire."

Roxas didn't know that they would be easy to acquire, but apparently for Zexion, everything came easy.

"I guess you can go home. We'll try this again tomorrow when I've got the tanks. I'll call you."

Roxas nodded. He was glad that Zexion was letting him go home instead of dragging him around with him to get provisions. "You think we'll really do this thing tomorrow?"

"If all goes well, then yes. Bring a backpack with you. Be sure to eat a good breakfast and drink plenty of water so you won't end up passing out on me," Zexion said entirely too nonchalantly.

"Uh, right. Will do." He surely didn't want that to happen. "See you tomorrow, then." He waved goodbye and began to walk off, but decided to add one more thing. "Thanks for this, Zexion."

Zexion grunted and looked away. Roxas took that as a 'you're welcome,' let a smile tug at the corners of his lips, and left the building.


End file.
